Next chapter is when things will actually start to pick up, I'm pretty sure it'll be based all in the past and be completely Naruto centric. SO GET READY Y'ALL IT'S NOT GUNNA BE CUTESY SASUKE/NARUTO CUTE PIE RELATIONSHIP TIME. IT'S GUNNA GET REAL AF
It had been a long time…
Itachi had told himself that he was going to leave that chapter of his life behind him.
But those bleary, black eyes of his brother had just-
He stared down his nose at the man tied to the chair. He looked so normal-which sent alarm bells ringing in Itachi's head. It had only taken mere moments and a calm had spread through Sai-like he didn't even know what fear was. No one should have been this calm in this situation-his own heart threatened to burst through his ribs and was loud enough to cover the sound of rain outside of the warehouse. Sai could be faking-to catch Itachi off guard. People were all like minded when it came to survival-they would beg, plead, or fight. Sure, Sai was laughing at his 'theories'-he even mocked the tapes Itachi had set up for him to watch.
"You're full of shit." He was smiling at Itachi with bleached, white teeth. He could tell they were bleached from the strips towards the tops of his gums. His eyes held no mirth, no worries, nothing. Itachi shrugged, reaching into the bag next to him. He grabbed a thin bladed knife, knowing it was sharp enough to sheer through leather, and would make quick work of Sai's skin and muscles. "You're taking this way too far."
"The only one who took it to far," Itachi paused as he rested the knife against the top button of his shirt, letting the blade slip through the little fibers holding the button in place, "was you. I wouldn't be doing this if you didn't force my hand."
"No one is forcing you to do anything." Sai's voice didn't quiver, shake, or even bend with a different pitch. He was still unafraid. "You're an officer of the law, are you not? Vigilantism is frowned upon by your people, your law."
"My law is what I make it." Itachi finished cutting through the buttons and let the blade glide up Sai's chest-he flicked his wrist and a small cut blossomed against the creamy white skin. "Besides, if you think I'm a vigilante, then you're admitting you've done something that encouraged me to take my own justice…Right?"
It was the first reaction-that seemed genuine, at least-Itachi had seen on Sai's face. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the Uchiha. Itachi smirked, in an almost vindicated, satisfied way.
"Don't play mind games with people smarter than you."
Itachi turned briefly, reaching into the duffel bag he brought. He pulled out a duraflame log as well as some solid, real logs. Sai was glancing at the yellow and black, paper covered log. He was silent, watching as Itachi slipped into a darkened corner.
He threw the logs into a small corner, taking his lighter out of his pocket and setting the duraflame log's paper on fire before settling it on top. "What's that for? Smoke inhalation wasn't the cause of death."
More and more, Sai incriminated himself. It was the natural reaction, of course-killers like the copies of their murders to be perfect, to the last detail. "I'm just preparing." Itachi brushed off his outburst-he'd had to wait several minutes before a good few coals would form out of those logs.
"Tell me something," Sai said, suddenly, there was a brief shake in his voice-if Itachi wasn't so sure, he would say it was a flash of excitement. "It's actually you, right? You're the Sandman, aren't you?"
"The Sandman," Itachi echoed in an unimpressed voice. "killed my brother's fiancé. Why would I do something to hurt my own family?"
"Jealousy." Sai spat, a strange and wild wickedness coming over his face. "He was a rather beautiful man-Naruto, I mean. I've never met someone who had eyes the color of the sea before."
Itachi was silent-before cracking to laugh. "Not my type."
"Oh," Sai said in a wistful kind of way. "I guess Sasuke is more your type."
"What did you say?" Itachi felt his back tense up as a nauseated feeling bubbled up in his esophagus. "Want to try and say it again?"
"It makes a lot of sense." Sai muttered. "The obsession, the baseless accusations-you need someone, don't you, to cover your sickness. You couldn't have your own brother-so why not cripple him, hurt him so dearly he must rely on you to make things right, but it was really you, wasn't it? You couldn't stand hi-" Itachi's fingers wrapped around the pale column of Sai's throat, squeezing and squeezing. It was meant to be a warning, but Itachi felt ropes of his control fraying as he watched the man choke; saliva dripped from the sides of his mouth. His fingers found more purchase the harder he squeezed and then he suddenly let go-the moment when Sai's eyes started to bulge and his face was burning red from the lack of oxygen. His head fell forward as he coughed.
Itachi's eyes narrowed as he stared down at Sai-now was not the time for him to start losing control of himself. He took a steadying breath and walked back over the fire in the corner.
He had killed people before.
It was part of his job-an unfortunate part, to be sure, but it had happened.
But this…
Itachi's hands clenched at his sides-he wouldn't go back on his words to Sasuke, but there was a nagging voice in his head, "Ah, sure. We can arrange that for you-but, what will you give me in exchange?" Itachi could picture that smile attached to those words-it wasn't a sweet smile, but one of malicious glee, punctuated by the black metal of his piercings.
There would be no other way for this to be arranged without them-without him.
"I suppose I should be grateful." Itachi muttered to himself. He felt his fingers tremble as he stood over the fire-he placed it in that corner because of the vent located right above it. This location had been given to him-promised to be quiet-and up for demolition in two days' time. There wouldn't be anything left when Itachi was over, but of course he knew that-but they had given him a cleaner anyway.
Kisame would show up in approximately five hours.
Naruto died over the span of a few days-the blond was a fighter to the end, which did not surprise Itachi. But, Itachi could not waste that much time on Sai-he had five hours-less now-to inflict the same torture and he hoped Sai wouldn't succumb to the shock first.
He stared into the logs, which crackled and started to split from the heat. He had a lot planned for them in these few hours.
Naruto woke suddenly when the weight in the bed next to him shifted. He opened his eyes and saw the back of Sasuke's head. He wondered when his lover had slipped into the bedroom-he slept hard after work so Sasuke could have realistically came in at any time, but from the way Sasuke kept making small, 'getting comfortable' movements, it must have just happened. Reaching out for Sasuke, the Uchiha turned as soon as he felt requesting fingers on his back. They shifted to get closer together. Naruto let Sasuke pull in close; he felt a hotness spread through his gut when Sasuke gave him a chaste kiss on the neck, moving to then cuddle the column of his throat.
"What time is it?"
"Like five. You have plenty of time."
Naruto hummed a reply, gently tracing his fingers up and down Sasuke's strong back. "You're not doing homework?"
"Finished it during my other classes." Sasuke replied softly. He pulled the blanket up a little higher around his face. "I thought I deserved a nap."
"Is sleep the only thing you wanna do?" Naruto asked in a nonchalant tone. He couldn't hide his foxy smirk from Sasuke and the Uchiha chuckled breathily.
"Is that all you think about?"
"How could I not? You're just too damn gorgeous." Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto's neck and pulled him in for a really passionate kiss.
-
Sasuke watched as Naruto got out of bed-he licked his lips as he watched the curve of Naruto's spine and how it dipped into the black dickies he slid into. "I wish you didn't have to work." The blond shrugged.
"I mean, neither do I, but how will we afford such a luxurious apartment?" Naruto turned, smiling at the man draped over their plethora of pillows and blankets-a makeshift nest for Sasuke to rest in.
The Uchiha shrugged his shoulders, "Prostitution?"
"Ah yes, the fabled plan b." Naruto pulled on his blue polo shirt and straightened out the collar. "Shit, at my job, even if you got a ring on it, people will ask you for everything like you actually are one."
"The public is literally the worst."
"The worst." Naruto echoed in agreement. "Like last night, this dude, who soooooo gay, got all homophobic and weird when I was like 'yah, my boyfriend-'"
"is totally an MMA fighter and will beat the shit outta you." Naruto huffed with laughter when Sasuke finished his sentence.
"No."
"Yes, just tell everyone that."
"Oh, just tell everyone that so I seem weak, right?"
"Naruto, you've been a scrapper since kindergarten." The blond was nodding in agreement. "There's always that weird power dynamic with gay people because some people can't get it into their head that we can both be the guy…all the time."
"You're my guy." Naruto made a kissy face at Sasuke, and in turn Sasuke replied:
"And you're mine." Catching the kiss with his own kissy face. "Let me take you to work."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you gotta be to class at six."
"Dude, it's not even nine yet, I got this. I took a post-sex nap and everything."
Naruto laughed, rolling his eyes. "I have to keep this insane body in good shape somehow."
"Do you run to work every day?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"Ya never quite know what might happen. One day, I might just have to."
"Which," Sasuke began, slinging into an upright position, "is exactly why I would prefer to take you on days I don't work and just have school."
"Babe,"
"Don't you even start with that 'babe' shit," Sasuke looked serious but the blond just sighed.
"Sasuke, don't worry about it. I've been doing this for months, it's totally fine. Have I ever given you doubts that I wouldn't be able to handle myself?"
"Okay, but, people get mugged all the time. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I'll be fine!" Naruto walked over to the Uchiha and put both his hands on his shoulders. "Even if they did mug me, they won't get any money, you know I'm broke as hell. I'll help them mug me cause hey, maybe I'll find some cash."
Sasuke smacked the blond with a pillow, "I worry because I love you. This isn't always a joke to me. It makes me feel shitty that I can't be what you need."
"Dude, we just moved into an apartment. When taxes come, we can pool them together and get a shitty car for me to take to and from work. It'll be fine. That's only another couple months away."
Naruto huffed and jumped onto the bed next to Sasuke, just barely missing the Uchiha. He pulled him close and huddled him underneath his body. "We just gotta deal with it for now, I'm fine. I have been for months. Nothing's gunna happen-I am more than capable of punching a crackhead in the face."
"I know."
The blond snuggled Sasuke a little harder, kissing the side of his hair, breathing deeply for just a second. Naruto got up, stretching. "Okay, I gotta go, for real this time."
Sasuke sighed. "I love you," Naruto leaned over the bed one last time and gave Sasuke a soft kiss.
"I'll see you when you get back from work." Naruto replied with a wink.
Naruto breathed into his hands before slipping them into his pockets. He really needed to invest in a nice pair of gloves-it was becoming the part of the year where everything was misty and rainy during the evening-water was wisping around with the promises of ice. Winter was just around the corner.
He headed into the inner path of the apartment, so he could avoid the parking lots. Naruto was thinking about filing a notice with the landlord. It was incredibly dark around the apartment, there were lamps and some people had their lights on, but it was too sparse. There were stretches on the sidewalk where he couldn't see the concrete very well, at all. Not to mention if anyone else was around. Naruto quieted that notion in his head.
Sure, sometimes when he looked up and there was a lone person sitting on their porch smoking and all he could see was the cherry of their cigarette, he would get a little shaken. But he didn't need to be sketched out by the prospect of being attacked around his apartments. It was all probability, and he just hoped all the odds would continue to be on his side.
He slipped through an opening between the apartment's sign and a fence in the front of the complex and meandered up a small hill to the sidewalk. He walked behind a high school-which at nine at night probably shouldn't have cars in the parking lot, but he supposed teens needed a secluded place to bump uglies like everyone else.
The blond slammed his hand into the button for the cross walk-it was nearly late enough for there to be no road noise so the clanging of the metal reverberated for a moment with nothing else to eclipse the noise. It was strangely lonely underneath the street lights, in the mist, in the pitch of the evening. Not even the moon was full in the sky and what could be seen of it was covered by the thick, gray rain clouds which promised a downpour in the next hour. Naruto pulled the collar of his jacket up a little higher, feeling the push of icy wind down his neck.
From across the street, he could see someone walking down the sidewalk. Somethings caught his attention briefly-namely the person was wearing a mask that appeared to have a skull on the front of the ski mask. "Jesus Christ," Naruto muttered to himself, hoping the light would change after the man had passed that particular section of the cross walk. It wasn't as though he was afraid, but there was no definite code for how people were going to act.
The light changed and the man was still walking down the road-which meant if Naruto crossed now, the man would be following him. Taking in a deep breath and headed across the street, keeping a fast pace just in case the man would try and catch up to him. He turned down his music so that, on the off chance it would happen, if the man started to run after him, Naruto would be able to hear it. He wouldn't be caught off-guard.
"Hey," He heard the man's voice, muffled but still close enough for him to make out what he was saying. Naruto, knowing better than to engage this person, ignored him, deciding to walk faster. Maybe this would be the day he would have to run. He heard the increasing sound of footsteps, and against his better judgement, looked behind him. Not only was this man now running to catch up with him, he was reaching into his bag.
"Oh, what the fuck" Naruto muttered to himself. He was in disbelief that this man was actually going to try something. He made sure he was stopped in front of a well-lit gas station, just in case something decided to pop off. He needed to be in shouting distance of someone.
"Do you wanna see something?" Naruto's eyes fluttered open as he continued to walk, the man basically running next to him.
"No, I'm good." He replied, not returning any form of eye contact.
"Do you have a cigarette I can buy?"
"I don't smoke." Naruto was about to reach the crosswalk which would take him over the overpass-he was so close to work. Sasuke totally jinxed him.
"Oh, come on, see I have like eight bucks." He pulled what looked like a couple dollars from his pockets as to assuage Naruto of something different but the blond decided this was where he drew the line.
"Dude, I don't smoke and if you have so much money, go buy yourself a pack."
"You don't have to be so rude."
"And you can fuck off." Naruto replied, widen his eyes and taking a threatening step forward. The guy stopped walking and turned to head in the opposite direct. "Fucking crackheads." The blond shook his head.
"And that's why I offer you rides," Shikamaru replied to the blond. Naruto was counting his till down, explaining the crazy thing that happened to him on his way to work. The brunet shook his head. "I don't see why you're so hard headed about it. I mean, I get you and Sasuke are tight on cash, but you have great friends."
"Great friends," Choji agreed as he slipped his till into the drawer and logged out.
"Y'all are taking this too serious. We get harassed by crackheads all night."
"Okay but we're in a group, and we have each other's backs."
"I am not afraid of them," Naruto said, a skeptical eyebrow raised. He paused when he saw a familiar head pass through the automatic doors of the store. THAT FUCKING RUDE GUY FROM THE PREVIOUS NIGHT WAS BACK. Before Naruto could even remind Shikamaru, the brunet was pointing towards the door.
"Nope, you're not allowed in here."
The guy walked up to the counter, leaning over to where Naruto was currently counting. "At least let me apologize for my behavior."
"Why should I accept any apology from some dude who acts all closeted when it conveniences them?" Naruto asked, dropping a stack of ones into his till.
"Fair enough, but I am sorry. I don't know what I was thinking when I said what I did, but it wasn't right." He made a lame hand gesture and started to walk out.
Naruto and Shikamaru made brief eye contact, "it's up to you."
"Ugh, you're the supervisor." Shikamaru shrugged.
"Alright, fine." The black-haired man stopped right before the doorway. "You're forgiven. Just don't make me regret this. Also, you're an asshole."
"I'll try not to be next time." He said with a strangely satisfied smile.
"You're awfully nice." Naruto looked over at Shikarmaru's till, where that same red headed guy from the other night was back.
"There no point in holding grudges." The blond shrugged. "You two don't know each other, right?"
"What?" The red head lifted an invisible eyebrow and scoffed. "As if I would hang out with a guy who wears a weird half-shift, two days in a row."
"Probably a uniform." Shikamaru observed. Both Naruto and the red head gave an incredulous look. "What? He could be a stripper or work at a night club."
"I don't know what kinds of night clubs you've been going to, dude, but I have never seen a bouncer or like a DJ wear something like that."
"Apparently you need to get out more." The red head's card made the reader 'beep' and he removed it. "I'm Gaara, by the way. I'll probably be here the same time every day, so get used to seeing me."
He exited quietly and Shikamaru turned towards the blond as he was slipping his till into the drawer. "Am I really going to have to deal with two different guys hitting on you for an awkward five to ten minutes a day?"
"You're gay-dar is so off. Mr. Gaara is definitely not gay."
"No one notices a weird half-shirt twice in a row like that, unless he was looking for it."
"I mean, I noticed his weird half-shirt because I was judging, but you know to each his own."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Just go to lunch."
Naruto saluted Shikamaru and happily bounded to the back where Sasuke's delicious hand-packed lunch was waiting for him.